HMCS Comox (MCB 146)

HMCS Comox was a Bay-class minesweeper built for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Cold War. The vessel was named for Comox Harbour, a bay in British Columbia. The minesweeper was later transferred to the Turkish Navy where she was renamed Tirebolu and served until 1996.

Design
The Bay class were designed and ordered as replacements for the Second World War-era minesweepers that the Royal Canadian Navy operated at the time. Similar to the Ton-class minesweeper, they were constructed of wood planking and aluminum framing.

Displacing 390 LT and 412 LT at deep load, the minesweepers were 152 ft long with a beam of 28 ft and a draught of 8 ft. They had a complement of 38 officers and ratings.

The Bay-class minesweepers were powered by two GM 12-cylinder diesel engines driving two shafts creating 2400 bhp. This gave the ships a maximum speed of 16 kn. The ships were armed with one Bofors 40 mm gun and were equipped with minesweeping gear.

Service history
Comox was laid down on 8 June 1951 by Victoria Machinery Depot at Victoria with the yard number 53 and launched on 24 April 1952. The vessel was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on 2 April 1954 with the hull identification number 146.

Comox spent three years in service with the Royal Canadian Navy. The minesweeper was paid off on 11 September 1957. She was transferred to Turkey on 31 March 1958 and renamed TCG Tirebolu with the identification number M-352. She was sold in 1996.